The Treasure Hunt: KAZMIR
There was no way I wouldn’t support her. Not after what she’s done for me in the last few weeks. “Are you sure we won’t lose our lives in the process?” starin’ at the treasure hunt magazine, I asked my wife who also had a confusin’ look on her countenance. “What if this is a trap?” Lookin’ away from the magazine, I shook my head. “I don’t think this is a good idea, baby.”
A look came on her face. “Do you want me to recover my brain cells again or not?”
“You know I do,” I confessed, even though I wasn’t sure. “We should leave this weekend then. I’ll ask Stella to come watch over the house while we’re at it. I’ll have Darius order a room in a hotel over there while we’re at it and be done with this hunt.”
“Thank you.”
With a sigh of relief runnin’ out of her mouth, she got on her feet. “I’ll get ready for the night, and make our meal.” She walked to the staircase and was gone from my face the next moment, leavin’ me to study the map and count how many stops we’d have before enterin’ into the village her grandmother once lived in.
What if the art pieces no longer existed there?
There was no way I would ask her that. She would think I didn’t want her comin’ back to her senses, so I kept mute and didn’t voice out my thoughts.
By the weekend, we were ready for this hunt. “Thank you for choosin’ to do this with me, Kazmir,” she voiced when the box was parked. “I’m more than ready to go on this hunt and this is ’cause you’re comin’ with me.” Someone’s phone beeped and it was hers. “Hello, Ariadne. We were just ’bout to leave. The man in charge of our car for today will be here.”
None other than Darius who I trust so much, even with my life. I walked out of the room with the box, stoppin’ to be certain that I heard the sound of the house bell and then headin’ out of the house with the box. “Thank you for comin’, Stella. The house is yours for today. We’ll be back as soon as tomorrow afternoon. Take care of it on our behalf.” Handin’ the keys to her, Nyssa said some words before hoppin’ in the car and exchangin’ pleasantries with Darius who did the same with me.
And off we went.
It was in the stress of the city at first, and I enjoyed the ride in the meantime. However, when the evenin’ came and we were still on the road, I was gettin’ worried and scared for no reason.
At this point, the woman I left the house with was asleep, but I couldn’t sleep.
How could I when I had a lot of things runnin’ around in my head? My eyes fixed on the map for moments, and I figured we had gone past many places mentioned in the magazine.
This realization brought a smile to my face and after a while, Nyssa came awake, requestin’ food.
“Darius,” I called the young man who stopped drivin’. “We need to get food,” I said and looked at the magazine to confirm how there was only one town left to ride into. “Take us to the restaurant closer to this place. I mean, stop at any good-lookin’ restaurant you find after this spot.”
By the time we arrived in town, it was late at night. As if I knew, I hopped out of the car with Nyssa who was very ready for the moment. We had come with a smaller box that would take in all the pieces her mother mentioned and this way, there was no need to be short of space in case there was more.
“Ready?”
She nodded, huggin’ me for a moment and walkin’ with my hand in hers. “I waited so much for this day and now that it’s here, I am ready to explore it.” Takin’ the map from me, the woman heaved a sigh. “I can’t even recall my grandmother. Isn’t that funny, baby? This is somethin’ I’ll ne’er be proud of.”
We had caught up with the section the map directed us to, and I was certain that this was where we were. I looked at Nyssa who brought out a key from her bag, showin’ it to me who nodded in satisfaction. Then she asked. “What is the first cryptic clue?”
“The first path from the gate-” I turned to see the gate and we walked back to it. “This is the first path,” I said and looked at Darius who confirmed it, before we started walkin’ in that direction. “There’s a puzzle before the door to the art station is opened. I wonder what’s goin’ to happen with that, especially when we don’t know what it’s ’bout and how to play the puzzle.”
We caught up with the end of the path and I looked at the magazine again.
“What next?” My wife, from where she was, standin’ and ready for what was to come, threw the question at me. “What’s next, baby?” When it looked like I was wastin’ her time, she asked with a different tone.
“The door to the room is right here, a spot we’re standin’ on.” Sayin’ this, I jumped in fear. “My goodness!” My shout came out loud and there were my feet hittin’ a door – maybe not a door but at the sound of this, Darius turned on the torchlight of his mobile phone. “Why does it have to be me?!”
“Relax, Kazmir. You were standin’ at the door. Leave.” In command, she reached the spot and I moved from it.
“Thank you.” Sayin’ this, she took the mobile phone from Darius before standin’ on her feet with a shake of her head. “We need to win this puzzle before we are given access to the gate. This isn’t the key I hold. It’s the key to another door inside of it.”
“How does your family have access to things like this?” I looked at the magazine and counted the objects we would get and fix before walkin’ in. “10 of them! Isn’t that too much, Nyssa? It’s late at night. How are we supposed to do that? We can come back in the mornin’ in case you don’t know.”
“I don’t know how Ariadne knows but she says the ancestors take them away in the mornin’ and brin’ them back at night. This way, it’s hard for people to try stealin’ them and only my mother has the magazine. Do you see why we can’t come in the mornin’?” Heavin’ a sigh, she left my side and said.
“Everyone had better get to work so that we can leave here on time. Darius, come on. Your boss needs some time before he can join the hunt.”
“What exactly am I lookin’ for?”
“Over here, Darius,” I called the man who rushed back to my side and I showed ‘im the magazine. “All of these. So anyone you find, brin’ it to me or my wife. When it’s complete, the puzzle is complete and we are given access to this door.”
Everyone scattered once more.
I went East, and my wife was all over the place. But Darius stayed West. No one found anythin’ yet, and I worried greatly. But how come there were no ants or mosquitoes around here? Did the ancestors protect the space from such also?
It was past an hour, and I heard a loud shout. Two voices. “I found 4!” In unison, my wife and Darius shouted. I had to leave my space and concentrate on another when I fell to the ground. In front of me were the two left, and I shouted like the others did.